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remarkableinchworm's review against another edition
4.0
Fun and educational. And something I never would have picked up if not for the fact that the author is a great follow on Twitter, and the audio book was available through my library's app.
meganlee007's review against another edition
3.0
Pigeons are funny. I enjoyed this little book and its illustrations.
incrediblefran's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.0
A charming, fun read that did a great deal for my opinion on pigeons! I already suspected that the “rats with wings” description was probably unfair to them, and it is. This book is filled with enthusiasm for them.
I wish the book had been a little more informative, really. There’s information given about the impact of pigeons through history, why they live everywhere, how they’ve interbred, etc. but all of it is a little too thin, and while I appreciate a quick, easy writing style I would have liked it to be less cute and to have gone a bit deeper in places. Perhaps the intended readership is younger?
That said, I think the book did its job: I came away from it with a new appreciation for pigeons, and I have already started spotting the different feather patterns in the ones that visit my garden.
annieb123's review against another edition
5.0
Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching is an interesting and accessible guide to pigeons by Rosemary Mosco. Due out 9th Nov 2021 from Workman Publishing, it's 240 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. Text search makes life somewhat easier.
Although this volume is ostensibly aimed at middle grade readers (10 year old me would've loved it), I learned quite a lot myself and I'm about 4 decades past being a middle grade reader. The language is simple enough for anyone to understand, but at the same time manages to be scientifically correct and use proper nomenclature.
The layout is logical and progresses from: why watch pigeons, pigeon evolution (dinosaurs!), interaction with and development alongside humans, anatomy, plumage (genetics!), behavior, health concerns (very low), and some tantalizing bits about general birdwatching.
The entire book is light and humorous and information dense. I grinned often whilst reading and found the style and the subject matter very engaging and fun. This would be a superlative public or classroom library acquisition, or gift to a nature/science interested youngster. It would also make a fine choice for smallholders (pigeons are easy and useful to raise), allotment/community gardens, and similar. There are no photographs, but the entire book is full of simple and well rendered line drawings (see cover).
Five stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching is an interesting and accessible guide to pigeons by Rosemary Mosco. Due out 9th Nov 2021 from Workman Publishing, it's 240 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. Text search makes life somewhat easier.
Although this volume is ostensibly aimed at middle grade readers (10 year old me would've loved it), I learned quite a lot myself and I'm about 4 decades past being a middle grade reader. The language is simple enough for anyone to understand, but at the same time manages to be scientifically correct and use proper nomenclature.
The layout is logical and progresses from: why watch pigeons, pigeon evolution (dinosaurs!), interaction with and development alongside humans, anatomy, plumage (genetics!), behavior, health concerns (very low), and some tantalizing bits about general birdwatching.
The entire book is light and humorous and information dense. I grinned often whilst reading and found the style and the subject matter very engaging and fun. This would be a superlative public or classroom library acquisition, or gift to a nature/science interested youngster. It would also make a fine choice for smallholders (pigeons are easy and useful to raise), allotment/community gardens, and similar. There are no photographs, but the entire book is full of simple and well rendered line drawings (see cover).
Five stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
animalculum's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
5.0